As We Joust
by PhantomWhispers
Summary: Told in the perspective of the praetor of Rome herself, Reyna lets us explore some of her earliest memories of Jason and her, before they ever became praetors or the pawns of a massive prophecy. Reyna fanfiction.


**A/N: Here is another Jeyna oneshot I whipped up for Fe of olympiandemigods. I don't believe this should be grouped up with my previous oneshot, as this is an entirely different theme. (My previous one was angst, and this work was requested to be "happy".) Well, _I do not own any works created by Rick Riordan. _Enjoy!**

I wiped the sweat off my brow as I rolled my eyes at Jason and walked out of the tunnel. Guard duty had just ended, and if I didn't get off my shift, some lazy graceus would never show up. You see, pity doesn't come naturally to Romans- or at least me.

Jason followed beside me. I noticed that he had a confident smile that he usually wore, plastered onto his face. The sun brightly reflected of his blonde hair, making it look shiny and as golden as the godly Imperial gold itself. He looked at me and quickly averted my steely- as rumor has come to say- gaze. I swear he blushed, cheeks turning into an odd color, as if he had forgotten how to blush. Considering how many times the kid blushed, I assumed he had never done so any more times than three.

"Jason?" I asked, stopping to a halt. I wanted to ask him a question, or perhaps a favor. Romans didn't ask favors, but for many I believed that this one offer seemed suitable for one of such stature as me. Romans are humble, of course, so don't tell me otherwise or I'll throw Octavian in your face, but our favors carry much weight, or are just flimsy little things like: could you fetch me a sword, get me the Teddy bear to throw in your face idiot, or please give me the jellybeans of Romans.

Jason looked at me; his eyes looked bold. In fact, everything about him looked bold and fierce. I admired that about him. It was very- Roman. Something praetor-like and noble. "Yeah?"

I wasn't paying much attention to him because this was an almost daily occurrence. I ask, he agrees, etc. But I still responded with a mask of "oh-I paid-attention-but-I-didn't-bet you-can't-do-that" emphasis. It's great being iron lady Reyna.

"Would you-?"

"Go joust with you again?" He chuckled. "Sure! Let's go-"

"Get prepared? Clean up?"

He smirked. "Whatever works best!" He nudged my elbow and I pretend I was ill by doubling over and gasping for breath.

"Ack! The praetor has killed me!" I wheezed and fell back into his sturdy grip in my attempt o a 'faint'.

"No. The praetor has been set up! Call the augur- healers- anybody! Rome is falling and the girl lays dead before me!" Jason shouted dramatically, laying my body on the ground, pretending to listen to my 'depleting' heart beat.

A kid walked by and made a cuckoo movement around his head to his buddy. I honestly couldn't put up with mockery, could I? I briefly opened my eyes and raised an eyebrow- not even a glare- and the kid quickly scurried off.

Jason laughed as the kid went down the path hurriedly. I joined in and took his hand as he offered it to me to supplement me in the process of standing erect.

Things like this happened every guard-duty-day and I was glad that they happened. Glad for the joy of the events. Glad for my friend, Jason. It was times like this that would make me let go of the past for a few minutes and allow me to laugh like a child.

Without looking back at each other, I set off to the gray road and abandoned Jason to prepare for a friendly joust.

* * *

When I stepped into my room, I fling myself at my bunk. No one else was here, of course; it was lunchtime and everyone would have gone for the two hours of food. Jason and I preferred to sharpen our skills for the first half of lunch; our way was much more logical, even if it did raise a few eyebrows.

I walked up to the pedestal that stood at the far end of the room. A gold-leaf mirror hung proudly above it with many pictures taped onto the reflector.

My eyes drifted to a picture of my sister, Hylla, who stood arm and arm at the entrance of Camp Jupiter which I had just finished guarding. I always seemed to look at that picture first; it was one of the few remnants of my sister.

Below that was a picture of Jason and I, proudly bestowing before us the head of a sea monster. Of course, it wasn't the best picture because: a) The amazingly tough girl (her name is Chrys) of Proserpina was laughing at how stupid we looked, causing the image to be fuzzy from her constant shaking b) Jason and I honestly looked horrible with mud caked onto our skin and blood smeared across our faces and arms and c) The picture was just plain messy.

Of course I would somehow love the picture. It showed my progression of the unusual Circe maid to a noble, valiant Roman. I was proud of my immense pride I had shown in my picture: proud that I wore the sweat of victory on my forehead that very quest day. Everything else was an added bonus.

I fetched a purple Camp Jupiter shirt and quickly slid it over my head. Quickly undoing my previous braid, I re-combed my hair and intricately knotted my hair into a single neat braid down my back. Everything else was done quickly as I rushed out my room to meet an anxious Jason at the arena.

He was there a usual, holding my armor that he had gathered from me earlier. Swinging around the armor in a mock throw, Jason unknowingly threw the bundle of metal towards me as I stepped into the arena.

Without hesitation, I caught it. But the consequences of Jason's abrupt hurtling of metal towards me was going to come soon…

"Sorry."

"Oh, I see. Metal is ordinarily meant to throw towards innocents before war begins, is it not?"

"Unless that person is Reyna the 'holy praetor of Rome'. Of course."

"Just be glad I'll only start out on 'medium-hard' during our sword jousting." I smirked. It was totally true, of course. If I ever wanted to become praetor, lies would have to be abandoned.

"Oh, so you have always played easy?"

I placed the breastplate over my shoulder and properly strapped the straps and buckled the buckles. "Well, I was on the impression that we didn't need the only son of Jupiter needing to be tended to health by all Apollo children," I said matter-of-factly in a rather cold tone. I had only replied to Jason to the hopes he would end the conversation and let us begin. I was starting to become aancy.

"Why not, Reyna?" Jason replied with a grin.

I frowned, for I thought he would have given up and not replied. Jason could clearly sense my discomfort in speaking. I decided to follow his game. "Well then, I could kill you if you want. Then we could ask Octavian to do his voodoo magic if you would like. That is what you wanted?"

The child of Jupiter laughed and shook his head. Flipping his coin, it elongated into a Imperial gold sword. He spoke. "You ready?"

"Born ready, of course," I responded. I tapped a belt that hung loosely on my waist. My gift from my own sister- a magically reappearing sword- popped into its socket and I drew it out from its position. It made a sharp "zing" noise.

"Begin," we both said in unison, as if sensing one another's thoughts of readiness.

Our swords made contact as we slashed at one another. A quick jolt nearly caused me to drop my sword and forfeit the joust altogether. Had that happened, we would have both been upset.

I feinted an attack to the right of Jason. He flinched in return, which gave me the perfect chance to make above towards him.

Jason grunted and narrowly dodged my attack by sidestepping. He made a quick slash towards my right arm.

I quickly willed myself to lean backwards and dodge. I, indeed, completed this act and was able to take a jab at his heart area. Grinning, my sword began to take a mind of its own as I waited for the perfect moment to strike.

Clang. Crash. Dodge. Parry. Sidestep. All the movements became as natural to me as breathing did. Perhaps even more than breathing, for I was a daughter of Bellona, the war goddess.

This quick skirmish began to stretch on and on. My energy in my battle skills started to slowly retreat me. Sweat started to drip down my forehead and neck, only to be soaked up by t-shirt. By now, I had a feeling that my hair was a good-sized mess now.

Suddenly, I envisioned my chance of succeeding in my plan. I twisted Jason's blade out of hi hand in a solid swift movement. He backed up as shock enveloped him and his Jupiter-sized pride.

Jason's blade had just clattered to the ground.

Of course, I felt overly jubilant. Being a daughter of war gave me major advantages usually gave me huge advantages towards normal people, but a Jupiter kid? Not likely; that's a fifty-fifty chance.

It started as a steady chuckle, but it grew into a strong laugh as a moment of realization hit me. I had just beaten Jason Grace.

Sword point still hovering before his heart, I hardly noticed the move Jason had made towards his fallen sword as he promptly picked it up and swung it at me.

It came with no warning as it struck at me. I pushed my blade against his with all my remaining strength. A breeze pushed against me, and all I could think about was that I was going to loose against windbags kid.

Finally, when the force was burdening me too much, and my footing had lost its own grip. I tumbled towards the ground.

"Oof!" I grunted as my elbows and body hit the ground as I fell.

Jason towered over me, grinning.

Frowning and then smiling broadly, I reached for my blade and pointed it directly at Jason's throat. Everything was immensely quiet, but then we both broke out laughing gleefully.

Jason brought out his hand to aid me in my attempts of standing after my hard landing on the ground. I accepted his hand; that one act was so sweet in truth.

After a while, we finally calmed down and began to stop laughing. A few chuckles later, any signs of amusement were gone from our faces as we began to remove each others metal armor, speaking of our match.

"You did well, Reyna."

"As did you." I began to work on his left shoulder's strap. It fell off neatly and I returned the armor to Jason. He took it, of course.

"Okay. Picture time then?"

I grinned. You see, ever since we have started these sword sessions after our most recent sea monster quest, we have begun to document each one with that very camera that Chrys had used to take our picture back then.

"Sure," I replied, taking the camera which had been laid on the arena floor; it was now next to my foot.

I placed my left arm over Hason's shoulder, he did likewise and we both smiled. Stretching out my right arm, I snapped a quick photo of ourselves and gave the camera to Jason to persuade the Vulcan kids of developing for us to put into a vast collection of pictured memories.

While shaking hands with Jason as our tradition stated, I couldn't help but think of the joy this day had been. Other days were fun, but this day was absolutely splendid.

After a short moment of silence, I spoke with my usual stiff tone, trying to mask my sudden glee. It didn't work as well as I had expected it to. "I believe I won that match!"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought I had won." He put a frowny face on that looked utterly hilarious.

I unsuccessfully stifled my laugh. "One must not defy the praetor! You shall be thrown to the mercy of-"

"No!" shouted Jason, miming a bowing motion towards me. "Should it be the lions, I will perish with grief!"

With a cruel scowl, I spoke with a truly menacing tone. "No; it shall be… Well, I don't know. Perhaps we should call the senate and ask Octavian?"

"Haha, Reyna."

I shrugged.

"Hey. Reyna?"

"Mhmmm."

"We are buddies, correct?" He sat down on the dusty arena floor. He looked straight toward the setting sun as a chilly gale pounded against us.

I sat down beside him. Frowning, I decided I should think before I were to answer that question; it was in my nature to thoroughly decide beforehand than to blurt out my thoughts.

Jason had always been my buddy. Ever since we had met we were always- friends. But ever since the utterance of the words: Titan war, things- secrets- that we had once shared with one another became much more enigmatic and we hardly ever shared them if we did so at all. We hadn't talk much with each other either. It finally dawned on me why I had enjoyed this meeting so much: we had actually talked like before things became confusing.

I smiled to think that no one had ever really confronted me an asked if I were their friend. Only Jason had done that; for that task, I was thankful to Jason.

"Yes," I whispered. It was so quiet, I imagined Jason had not heard it at all, but he nodded his head, so I assumed he did.

We didn't speak after that, so we began to start heading out of the arena.

I returned my armor to Jason for him to store in his cabin. My room was ordinarily crowded with peoples scattered belongings, so we had both figured it better to store the armor in his cabin, where there was plenty room.

"Thanks." I smiled uneasily.

I turned towards him and gripped him into a hug. He was, of course, shocked beyond belief, but he gave in and returned my hug.

"You'll always be my friend."

I let my arms down and continued to walk out of the arena. Jason followed behind me, and I found it appropriate to tell him what I had mourned to say during a quick hug.

I stopped and crept up to where he was. Placing my head into his shoulder, I placed a small kiss onto his cheek and whispered into his ear.

"As will I, Jason; I will always be your closest friend and confident… No matter what."

**A/N: Not bad, but I believe it was rather cliche. I plan to write a House of Hades fanfiction for those of you who are interested. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this oneshot.**


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